Stemmy, Erik (Dickinson College ). Mentor: Scott Freeman and Henry Wilbur (University of Virginia). Intraspecific interactions between two size classes of Desmognathus quadramaculatus.

Abstract: Intraspecific interactions are an important aspect of an organism's behavior. These interactions play a large role in the structuring of populations. Adult salamander interactions have been well studied, while larval interactions have received far less attention. When the larval stage of an organism is a large part in its life cycle, as in Desmognathus quadramaculatus, understanding larval interactions become necessary for a more complete picture of its life history. This study examined such interactions, between two different size classes of D. quadramaculatus. Two Large larvae were observed interacting in one treatment, one large larva and one small larva were observed in a second, and two small larvae interacting in a third. Large larvae were found to be more active, and more aggressive than smaller conspecifics. Also, Large/Large interactions had a significantly shorter time to first interaction than interactions between Small/Small and Large/Small larvae. This implies that large larvae are dominate over smaller larvae in intraspecific interaction.